


get out of california, i'm tired of the weather

by bloodredcherries



Category: Baby-Sitters Club - Ann M. Martin
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-15
Updated: 2019-02-15
Packaged: 2019-10-25 11:28:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,576
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17724323
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bloodredcherries/pseuds/bloodredcherries
Summary: “Yeah, I know,” Dawn said. “But, it’s Mary Anne. I don’t think that she’s going to be part and parcel to the horrible things. Just talk to her.”





	get out of california, i'm tired of the weather

**Author's Note:**

> This turned out more pre-relationship than I had anticipated, but, I hope that you like it anyways!

Mary Anne sat down at the lunch table that Kristy had commandeered moments before, looking decidedly bright and peppy, even by her standards, and it took all of Kristy’s self restraint to not demand an explanation. She was too hungry to try to puzzle out the inner workings of what caused Mary Anne to be so gleeful -- knowing her, it was probably something that was of very little interest to Kristy at all. She and Mary Anne had been friends since before they could walk, but that didn’t mean that Kristy ever understood some of the things that made the younger girl tick. 

 

“I have some exciting news,” Mary Anne told her. “You know how Dad and Sharon said that we needed to have a family meeting after school yesterday? So we couldn’t study together?” 

 

Kristy didn’t need help with her studies. Studying with Mary Anne would have just been a good excuse to spend time with her, especially considering the fact that all of her attempts to restart the BSC had been more and more depressing as the years had gone by. It had seemed increasingly fruitless. 

 

“I remember,” she said. “You were supposed to come over after,” she pointed out. “We could have watched a movie together, or something.” 

 

Mr. Spier had loosened up about Mary Anne’s curfew over the years, and Kristy was more than willing to take advantage of the fact, especially now that Mary Anne and she could both drive. Not that Mary Anne had a car of her own (he hadn’t loosened up  _ that _ much), but, she was allowed to drive either of her parental units’ cars, within reason. Kristy had been given one of her mom’s old cars, as the Junk Bucket had given up the ghost the previous summer, in an unfortunately explosive manner. Karen had insisted that it was the work of witchcraft, but her mother and Watson had agreed that it was just old. 

 

“I had to help Dad and Sharon get the house ready,” Mary Anne told her, as she took delicate bites of her fruit salad. “Dawn is coming home.” 

 

Kristy barely resisted wrinkling her nose. Dawn was all well and good when she was across the country in California, doing whatever it was she did on the West Coast, but she still couldn’t stand her half the time. It wasn’t fair that Dawn was the consistent focus of Mary Anne’s attention during every one of her visits, as if Mary Anne feared that each one would be the last. Considering how much Dawn disliked Stoneybrook, Kristy had to admit there was always the chance that she had a point.

 

“What do you mean, Dawn is coming home?” Kristy demanded warily, her eyes locked on Mary Anne, as she picked at the hot lunch that she’d gotten from the cafeteria ladies moments before. She felt as if she had lost her appetite. It wasn’t because of the food -- the school lunch at Stoneybrook High School was  _ much _ more palatable than the lunch at SMS had been -- but, rather, the bombshell that Mary Anne had dropped on her. “You mean for vacation, right?” 

 

Mary Anne shook her head. Kristy bit back a sigh. “No, Sharon and Dad said that she was coming back for good,” she said. “I heard she got kicked out of Vista. I didn’t really ask questions, though,” she added. “Why? Do you think I should have?”

 

“No!” Kristy insisted, her voice far too forceful than needed, and Mary Anne appeared taken aback. She drew in a deep breath in an attempt to center herself, and reminded herself that this was Mary Anne’s stepsister, and that she wasn’t supposed to view the blonde as any sort of competition. Dawn and Mary Anne shared a familial relationship, and nothing more. The blonde was  _ never _ going to be a competitor for Kristy’s affections, because, it had become clear, that Mary Anne was  _ painfully _ straight. The string of steady boyfriends that she steadily alternated between was a clear sign of that. “I mean...why upset the applecart?” 

 

“Sharon  _ is _ really excited that Dawn is coming home,” she said. “I think she wants us to throw a party. Did you want to help us?”

 

“Shouldn’t you just ask Stacey? Or Claudia? Aren’t they better at planning parties than I am?” It was a lie, and Kristy knew it. She was sure that Mary Anne knew it too, judging by the expression on the other girl’s face. “Why are you staring at me like that?”   
  


“I’m just wondering how the same person who can plan so  _ many _ activities for the BSC can  _ mysteriously _ lack those same skills when I want help doing something nice for  _ my _ sister,” she said, her tone clipped. “But, that’s fine, if you don’t want to help, I’m sure that Pete will.” 

 

“You’d trust Pete Black to throw a better party than me?” Kristy demanded. The thought was laughable. “How could you even say that?” 

 

“Pete would help me,” Mary Anne said flatly. She took a delicate bite of her sandwich. “I don’t see why you won’t. Isn’t Dawn supposed to be your friend, too?”   
  


“Of course, she’s my friend,” Kristy said. “And, of course, I’ll help. Anything for you, Mary Anne.” 

  
  


***

  
  


The only consolation that Kristy found in the disaster that was Dawn’s return, was the fact that the blonde was going to be attending Stoneybrook Day School, rather than SHS with her and Mary Anne. She could deal with occasionally seeing Dawn at the Schafer-Spier house, or around town, and she could only hope that the lustre of Dawn’s return would wear off eventually. Kristy knew that Mary Anne loved Dawn, but it was  _ Dawn _ she was talking about, not an audience with the Pope. 

 

Dawn, as typical, was oblivious to any feelings of mistrust and aggravations that Kristy happened to have. Dawn had always been good like that, she groused inwardly, either pointedly ignoring the signs that a person wasn’t in the mood to deal with her, or deciding that she was such a free spirit that  _ everyone _ had to like her. 

 

It wasn’t that Kristy disliked Dawn. If she didn’t view her from the lense of being Mary Anne’s stepsister (or  _ was _ she Mary Anne’s actual sister? Sharon had adopted Mary Anne at some point over the years, even though Kristy thought it was just a formality, that didn’t mean that the ever-so-romantic Mary Anne didn’t view that as making her and Dawn  _ actual _ sisters, rather than just claiming they were, as was her wont), and pretended she was just a friend, Kristy liked her. 

 

Which, of course, brought Kristy to where she was today. 

 

It appeared that in her infinite wisdom (oh, okay, in her overly inflated ego), she had neglected to remember the very  _ real _ possibility of Shannon and Dawn rekindling their friendship, and, of course, Karen’s unique ability to meddle in her affairs. Somehow, her little sister had wormed out of her the fact that she had a crush on Mary Anne, and, though she had promised not to use it against her, Kristy suspected that they had a different definition. 

 

“I thought we could hang out,” Dawn said, when she opened the door to find her standing there, clad in the standard issued private school uniform, her California-tanned skin slightly paler than it had been when she’d arrived. “I know that there’s no barn to swing in, anymore,” she drawled. “I just thought, maybe, we could be friends.” 

 

“We are friends,” Kristy protested. “Why wouldn’t you think that we are? I helped Mary Anne throw you that party.” 

 

“Oh, please,” Dawn said, and she rolled her eyes. “You did that for her, not me. I see the way that you look at her, you know,” she added. “How you’ve always looked at her.” 

 

“What are you even talking about?” 

 

“Mary Anne doesn’t know,” she continued. “And, don’t worry, I won’t tell. You’re entitled to your secrets.” 

 

“It doesn’t even matter,” she told her. “Mary Anne is straighter than a yardstick. I have no chance with her.” 

 

“Or, it’s possible that you do, and you don’t even know it. I mean, sure, Mary Anne  _ has  _ only dated boys, but, look where we are, Kristy. We’re in suburban Connecticut. It’s not like liking women would  _ ever _ be in her default world view.” Dawn scoffed. “We are talking about Richard’s daughter, here. Not exactly known for being an adventurous man.” 

 

Kristy scowled. “I don’t want to lose our friendship,” she admitted. “What if I tell her how I feel, and I do?”

 

“What if you tell her how you feel, and she feels the same way?” Dawn retorted. “Are those apples organic?” She screwed up her nose. “I guess it doesn’t really matter. I’ll have one, anyways.” She watched as Dawn took a bite out of the apple. “I think you should talk to her. She might really surprise you.”

 

“If you say so.” Kristy was dubious. 

 

“Oh, come on, Kristy. It’s not like I’m making you try an esoteric health food. Talk to her. She’s your best friend. What’s the worst that could happen?”

 

“There are plenty of horrible things that could happen.” 

 

“Yeah, I know,” Dawn said. “But, it’s Mary Anne. I don’t think that she’s going to be part and parcel to the horrible things. Just  _ talk _ to her.”

 

“Now?” Kristy demanded. 

 

Dawn shrugged. “Yeah, I mean, I guess. You could always drive me home.” 

  
  



End file.
